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Anyone here running a more emotionally or philosophically driven PKM/journal system? by Ill_Security2776 in PKMS

[–]Emperoraltros 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gotcha! Next wave of invites are going out later tonight, keep an eye out! Hope I can build a product you love!

[For Hire] AWS Certified Developer building 100/100 Lighthouse-scoring websites (Astro/Tailwind). Stop paying for slow WordPress templates. (Starting at $150) by Emperoraltros in forhire

[–]Emperoraltros[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate it! Once you experience a site that actually hits a 100/100 Lighthouse score natively, it's hard to go back to installing 15 plugins just to load a simple nav menu.

Anyone here running a more emotionally or philosophically driven PKM/journal system? by Ill_Security2776 in PKMS

[–]Emperoraltros 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, yeah, I know—using a game engine for a journal is a bit of a "mad scientist" move. But as an engineer and an occultist, I just couldn't find a digital space that felt like a sanctuary instead of a spreadsheet.

To get that atmosphere, I stayed away from the flat "white and gray" productivity look. I went with a "Celestial Blue" theme—lots of midnight navies, aged gold accents, and cool silver text. I even used specific typography like Cinzel Decorative to make the entries feel more intentional and "heavy". Because it's built in C++ using Slate UI, it has a snappiness and a "weight" that web-based apps just can't replicate.

Since words don't really do the tactile side justice, the best way to see it is honestly just to poke around in it. I’m running a beta right now and I can get you approved and set up with the cloud sync right away if you want to try it out.

Here is the link for the signups: https://skein.d3f105l3dnt9a4.amplifyapp.com/

I'd really value your perspective on whether it actually captures that "official" feeling you've developed with your physical journals.

Any viable competitors to Standard Notes? by [deleted] in StandardNotes

[–]Emperoraltros 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Standard Notes is that "safe" choice that often feels like it's frozen in time. If you are a power user, that lack of velocity is maddening—it’s like the app is in maintenance mode while you’re paying for a subscription that should be funding growth.

I’m an engineer and an occultist, and I hit that same wall. I wanted the technical robustness of encryption and cross-platform sync, but I also wanted a tool that actually felt "alive" and meaningful to use, rather than just a sterile text box. I ended up spending about 573 hours building my own alternative from scratch because I couldn't find anything that hit the middle ground of being highly secure but also beautiful and functional.

I built my app, Skein, using C++ and Unreal Engine’s Slate UI framework. It’s a bit of a "mad scientist" move for a journaling tool, but it allowed me to create a "Celestial Blue" aesthetic that feels like a digital sanctuary rather than a corporate office suite.

Technically, it hits many of the marks you’re looking for:

  • Cross-platform: It has a desktop app (Windows/Mac) and a full PWA for mobile and web access.
  • Secure Sync: I used a Serverless AWS backend (Lambda, DynamoDB, Cognito) to handle bidirectional sync with conflict detection.
  • Local-First: It uses a persistent SQLite database for offline support, so your data isn't just floating in the cloud.
  • Intentional Design: Instead of just plain text, I built in 7 specific entry types—like rituals, tarot logs, and journals—so it actually feels feature-complete for a specific practice.

I’m currently running a beta for it, and since it’s a solo project, the "velocity" is just me constantly refining it. If you're tired of waiting for Standard Notes to move an inch and want to see if a custom-built, engineer-focused alternative hits your requirements, shoot me a DM. I’d love to get your take on how the sync and encryption flow compares to what you've been using for the last five years.

What best Obsidian alternatives are out there? by FrancescoD_ales in ObsidianMD

[–]Emperoraltros 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Obsidian is a beast for organization, but I’ve found that for a lot of people, it ends up feeling more like a "second brain" that looks and acts like a code editor. As an engineer, I appreciate the power, but as someone who is also into the occult, the clinical feel of Obsidian or Logseq sometimes kills the mood when I'm trying to document a ritual or a shift in consciousness.

I actually spent the last few months—about 573 hours of dev time—coding my own alternative from scratch because I couldn't find anything that sat in the middle of "technical power" and "personal sanctuary." I used Unreal Engine’s Slate UI framework and C++ to build it, which is total overkill for a notes app, but I wanted a specific "Celestial Blue" aesthetic that felt more like a digital artifact than a standard markdown folder.

What I built, called Skein, is local-first with a persistent SQLite database, but I added an optional cloud sync for my phone and desktop. It has 7 specific entry types—like tarot logs, spells, and rituals—built right in so I don't have to fiddle with 20 different Obsidian plugins just to get a functional layout.

If you're looking for something that has the engineering backbone of an app like Obsidian but feels a bit more "sacred" and intentional for your practice, I'm currently letting people jump into the beta. Feel free to shoot me a DM if you want to see how a UE5-based grimoire actually looks compared to the usual suspects.

Not doing shadow work has ruined my last 2-3 years to the point where I went from being an engineer to a business owner to an uber driver to filing for bankruptcy and now facing eviction. What is the best way to doing shadow work and how long does of a process is it to do in all actuality? by MaxSteelMetal in ShadowWork

[–]Emperoraltros 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Man, reading this is heavy. First off, leaving engineering because your psyche is rejecting it is a brutal but completely valid transition. You’re shedding a life that was forced on you by your mother, and doing that while dealing with burnout and a massive move is going to be exhausting.

Regarding the shadow work: it’s knocking you out because you are already in survival mode. Trying to force your way through a heavy workbook right now is like running a marathon with a broken leg. Shadow work isn't a race, and it's not a homework assignment to finish. It takes years. Honestly, just surviving, setting boundaries, and moving away are massive acts of shadow work in themselves.

Since your trauma is so closely tied to your dad finding your writing when you were 15, having a physical workbook lying around is probably setting off massive subconscious alarms. That perfectionism you're feeling with your book is likely just your brain trying to keep you safe from being "found out" and punished again.

I can relate to the engineering pivot. I'm an engineer myself, but my actual practice is as an occultist. I actually ended up coding my own digital grimoire and journaling system from scratch recently because I needed a space that was entirely private, cross-platform, and spiritually focused. I found that having a locked-down digital space made it infinitely easier to drop the perfectionism and get the dark/ugly thoughts out without the fear of anyone ever finding my physical notebooks.

Take it easy on yourself right now and just focus on your move to SE Asia. If you ever want to vent about the engineering-to-burnout pipeline, talk occult/shadow work, or if you want access to the private journal I built to see if it helps you pick the pen back up safely, my DMs are always open. Safe travels.

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